Did you know:
• That research is showing that your internal body and internal organs send signals to your brain and play a major role in regulating your emotions?
• That your brain flicks in time with your heartbeat?
• That your emotions are impacted by neural activity that is impacted by your body organs?
• That memories are more likely to be remembered when you are in the body state you were in when the memory was first laid down?
• That interoception is important to keep you alive and allows you to feel pain and discomfort in your body.
• That people have different levels of interoception and trauma, either in childhood or adulthood, can reduce interoception.
WHAT LEVEL OF INTEROCEPTION DO YOU HAVE?
One test is to sit comfortably in a chair. Somewhere where you feel safe.
• Close your eyes.
• Place your attention in your heart.
• Can you feel it beating in your chest?
• If so, can you count your heart beats without having to find your pulse and count with your finger?
If you can feel your heart, then you have good interoception.
Interoception is not well known. Most of the emphasis in life is on what we think, not on what we feel in our bodies.
But interoception is a vital skill for your wellbeing.
Did you know that research has indicated that how well you can feel the signals from your body determines how well you regulate your emotions. If you can regulate your emotions well then you are less likely to experience anxiety and depression.
If you can read what your body is feeling, then you can be better able to protect yourself from mental health issues, regulate your emotions, and resolve conflicts.
WHAT IS INTEROCEPTION?
Interoception is the signals, expressed in sensations, that you receive from your body. This includes sensations sent from your internal organs such as your heart, lungs, bowel, bladder and so on.
These sensations are constantly being sent to our brains, where they are read by the brain. The brain makes the decision whether we need to be consciously aware of any of these sensations.
Have you ever heard someone say they felt something in their body wasn’t quite right then found out they had a medical issue with a particular body organ? This is an example of interoception where signals from an organ indicating a problem were sent to the brain and the brain sent messages to your conscious brain that there was something wrong.
When you feel something is wrong but can’t quite explain that feeling, this is interoception at work.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NOTICING BODY SENSATIONS AND UNDERSTANDING THEM
Most people’s brains are able to feel what is in their bodies, but they may not know how to interpret what they are feeling. They may not understand the link between what their body is feeling and the event that led them to develop that reaction in their brain.
Some people are totally cut off from the understanding of those sensations and may not even be aware they are feeling anything in their body unless they are taught to pay attention to those sensations. This is seen often in people who are depressed. They cannot feel their bodies and they feel numb.
Similarly, people who have suffered trauma, especially childhood trauma, often have difficulty feeling body sensations.
POOR INTEROCEPTION CAN LEAD TO ANXIETY
Other people are aware of these sensations but cannot understand what they mean. These types of people are more likely to report feeling anxious. They need to learn to connect these sensations with their conscious brains.
People who report feeling numb and separate from their body have been found to have poor interoceptive awareness. They struggle to notice what they are feeling.
Autistic people often struggle with interoception because they often struggle with Alexithymia (see previous blog on this). This is why many autistic adults suffer from anxiety.
INTEROCEPTION AND YOUR SENSE OF SELF
Interoception is the foundation of your sense of self.
THINGS YOU CAN DO TO IMPROVE INTEROCEPTION
Mindfulness is one approach that has been found to increase people’s ability to tune into their internal sensations.
Exercise has also been shown to help with interoception, especially certain exercises. For people with trauma histories, the feeling of the heart racing is threatening as it can trigger the fear of a trauma response. Exercising and getting used to the heart racing, and learning how to be comfortable with that can help with the feeling of threat. Exercise will also allow you to use mindfulness to allow you to learn to read the signals your exercising body is giving out.
Interestingly strength training has been shown to reduce anxiety. It is thought that training the muscles changes the signals the brain receives from the muscles as they become stronger and better able to deal with heavy use.
DO YOU NEED HELP?
It is helpful to seek professional help with difficulties with interoception. A trauma trained counsellor can help you resolve any underlying issues and learn how to feel safe in your body. Once you feel safein your body then you can learn interoception.
If you would like to talk to me about how I can help you with your interoception, please contact me on 0409396608 or nan@plentifullifecounselling.com.au
If you would like to learn more, I write a regular newsletter with interesting information, tips, information on courses, and the occasional freebie. At the moment I have a free mindfulness meditation for anyone who signs up to my newsletter. This meditation offers a way to safely explore your feelings and learn to be okay with them. If you would like to subscribe please click on the link here: http://eepurl.com/g8Jpiz